


The Nerd Defense

by thesevenofhearts



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Gen, where did those glasses come from?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-07-08 22:18:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19876969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesevenofhearts/pseuds/thesevenofhearts
Summary: “Now, kid, at the top of the hour we’re gonna start the trial. The prosecution’s gonna put ya on the stand. And I’m gonna let them. They’ll ask for your version of the events. And what are you gonna say?”





	The Nerd Defense

“Here.” Tanaka-san held the thick black rimmed glasses out in one hand. His other hand was holding the case file a few inches from his face, weary eyes skimming over the document. Tanaka held the glasses for only a moment, then shot Akira a look and sat them down, pushing them across the table as though they had been contaminated.

Akira wasn’t sure if he liked Tanaka. He’d only met him once prior, the day after his indictment. The meeting had not gone well--it was evident within the first few minutes that the lawyer didn’t believe Akira, and he had insisted on pleading guilty in order to ensure to a lighter sentence.

A lighter sentence--as though anything short of a total acquittal could spare him from the oncoming devastation. The idea of going back to school with teachers and students ostracizing him alike was perturbing at best, and downright disparaging whenever he allowed his mind to linger at the thought.

“You’re wearing those for the trial.” Tanaka explained, trying to hide the scowl threatening to overcome his wide, blotchy face. “Appearances are important.”

Akira remained silent, turning the spectacles in his hands. Tanaka’s right, of course, but it’s odd to hear him say so. His parents had hired him, so he knew that the lawyer had whatever experience needed, but at first glance he looked more like a retired professor obsessively reminiscing about long-past glory days, not a sharp-witted and successful lawyer.

“And especially since you ain’t got a suit....” Tanaka wrung his wrists. Akira did, in fact, own a suit. It had simply been a while since he was required to wear it, and now it was too short on his wrists and ankles. Tanaka had nearly thrown a fit over it, his face a dark red in frustration. Akira worried for the rest of the visit that he’d be kidnapped from his detainment and rushed to a fitting.

Not that Tanaka was one to judge, regarding suits. He was a short, heavyset man, and while there’s nothing wrong with that, his suit looked as though it had shrunk on him, which made him seem even shorter and more rotund. His jacket sleeves were also too short and exposed the white cuffs of his dress shirt, which in turn were so tight that they seem to cut into his wrists, making his hands and sausage-like fingers look like something taken from a cartoon. His face and neck similarly swelled over the neck and tie of his shirt. The end product summoned the image of Tanaka swelling up like a bullfrog, preparing to scream at a witness.

Thankfully unaware of Akira’s thoughts, Tanaka grabbed a handkerchief from one of his suit pockets and started dabbing at his sweaty, burgundy face. It didn’t help with the overall impression.

“Now, kid, at the top of the hour we’re gonna start the trial. The prosecution’s gonna put ya on the stand. And I’m gonna let them. They’ll ask for your version of the events. And what are you gonna say?”  
“I’ll explain what happened.” Akira was spinning the glasses in a circular motion on the table, but he didn’t need to look up to know that Tanaka swelled up like a bullfrog again. The lawyer’s hand fell on the table with a sudden thud.

“Listen, she’s going to say that you attacked that man unprovoked.” Tanaka’s voice was even more clipped than usual--evidently he took Akira’s impassive face for the insubordination it was. “She’s a little lady. You’re tall and even without that tiny suit, you’re going to intimidate some of the jurors.”

Akira was pretty sure he didn’t like Tanaka.

“But, if we make you look like some pathetic nerd, they’re might not believe that broad.”

Akira definitely didn’t like Tanaka.

“...Alright.” However much he disliked Tanaka, Akira wasn’t stubborn enough to disagree with him every step of the way. He unfolded the glasses and pushed them up the bridge of his nose. It was weird, seeing everything surrounded by a thick black frame.

If anyone asked him, Akira would say that he wasn’t insanely tall--just 177 cm. There were plenty of people in the world that could easily tower over him. At the same time, he was taller than most.

It wasn’t as though Akira wanted to be tall--the benefits were limited to little more than being able to reach the top shelves and riding a few amusement park rides earlier than his fellow classmates.

The costs not only outnumbered the benefits, but came up more frequently: his mother bemoaning the fact that finding uniforms with adequate length was nigh impossible; someone nearly a foot shorter deciding to use him as a way to prove their mettle; nearly hitting his head off low doorways in older buildings; worse, hitting his head off a ceiling fan.

And however useful height was in some situations, he’d gladly trade a few centimeters to get out of this mess. If glasses were enough to get some leniency, he might as well give them a shot.

“There ya go, you look like a geek already. Lookin’ like that, there’s no way a jury’s gonna think that you beat anybody up in cold blood.”

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by an episode of Adam Ruins Everything that takes on court procedures. I did some research on Japanese court but I'm not citing myself as an expert so i could easily be wrong about something haha.
> 
> this was originally posted over on my tumblr,  thesevenofhearts 


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